The UK government must continue to invest in the country's green recovery in order to move to a low-carbon economy and creating thousands of jobs, says Trades Union Congress (TUC).

TUC puts these issues to Energy and Climate Secretary Chris Huhne, who addressed a TUC climate change conference at Congress House.

The TUC, Friends of the Earth and the Aldersgate Group have also written to the Chancellor George Osborne expressing concern that cuts to green funding in next week’s Comprehensive Spending Review could damage the UK economy’s fragile recovery.

The letter indicates that possible cuts in funding to the Renewable Heat Incentive and Feed-in-tariff (FIT) could stop companies investing in renewable energies like solar and wind power.

The possible cancellation of the £60m set aside by the previous government to upgrade ports in Teesside and Humberside would mean companies that have signaled an interest in investing in the UK would go elsewhere and the chance to create up to 50,000 green jobs will be lost, the letter said.

The withdrawal of government investment in the developing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies would be a huge blow, further compelling companies struggle to develop CCS.

Alliances for a Green Growth deputy general secretary Frances O’Grady said cutting green funding in the Spending Review would not just risk economic recovery, it would also mean many lost opportunities to create green jobs and develop technologies that could reduce our carbon emissions.

"Only with a smart, active state pursuing an intelligent, green industrial strategy will the UK be able to achieve its just transition to a low-carbon future."